JWST detects helium around LHS 1140b
Using spectral data from the Magellan Clay telescope at Las Campanas Observatory and follow-up observations with the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers detected helium escaping from LHS 1140b, a rocky exoplanet that orbits in the habitable zone of the nearby low-mass star LHS 1140, located 49 light-years from Earth.
This marks the first time scientists have confirmed a gaseous atmosphere around a rocky planet in the region where liquid water could exist on the surface. Previous confirmed exoplanet atmospheres were found on gas giants or on rocky worlds far too hot for life.
Chang'e-6 reveals lunar hemisphere differences
Separately, China's Chang'e-6 lunar samples have uncovered a surprising difference between the Moon's two hemispheres. The samples, returned from the far side, show distinct mineral compositions compared to samples from the near side. The findings challenge existing models of lunar formation and evolution, suggesting the Moon's two faces experienced different volcanic and impact histories over billions of years.